The Dark Side of Quinoa

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Quinoa, the "miracle grain of the Andes," is now too expensive for the poor Andes residents who have traditionally relied on it as a staple of their diet. Low in carbohydrates and high in protein, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) has become increasingly popular with the First World health-conscious set. The price has tripled since 2006, which means "that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it," reports The Guardian. "Imported junk food is cheaper. In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken."

Earlier this month, for instance, The New York Times's Elizabeth Rosenthal reported that the United States's and Europe's demand for ethanol has driven up prices of corn-derived food in poor countries such as Gautemala. And while Rosenthal made an elementary mistake in her reporting — the tortillas Rosenthall referenced are actually made from white corn, while ethanol in the U.S. is made from No. 2 yellow corn — there's no denying an overall trend in global food production, in which First World appetites drive Third World cultivation, often with deleterious economic and environmental effects.

Soy production is speeding deforestation in the Brazilian rainforest. Asparagus production for export in Peru has led to water shortages that locals need, The Guardian notes.

Of course it's not only the production of "healthy" foods that can have bad consequences. Sugar production comes with myriad ecological and labor abuses, with Coca-Cola alone dumping huge amounts of toxic chemicals into India's farmlands. But the quinoa quandary reveals that it's not just junk food that has unhealthy consequences.